Date and Time

Tuesday, April 3, 2018 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Location

Mother Rosalie Hill Hall, Warren Auditorium

5998 Alcala ParkSan Diego,
CA92110

Cost

0

Details

This event celebrates the accomplishments of participants in the Johnson Family Fellows Program, K-12 teachers who have committed to learning more about supporting students with learning disabilities and becoming leaders in inclusion at their own schools.

Our keynote speaker, therapist, author, and entrepreneur, Ronnie Sidney, II, MSW, will guide us through his early academic experiences, exploring how resilience, along with some very special people, helped him break barriers.

Ronnie Sidney, II, LCSW is a therapist, author, publisher, professional speaker, and business owner. Ronnie was raised in Tappahannock, Virginia, and attended Essex County Public Schools (ECPS). While attending ECPS, he spent several years in Special Education after being diagnosed with a learning disability. The stigmatization of special education along with low teacher expectations created a lack of interest in school for Ronnie. Nevertheless, he graduated from Essex High School in 2001, but with a 1.8 GPA. With limited options regarding four-year colleges, he decided to enroll in J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond, Virginia. The following year, he transferred to Old Dominion University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services in 2006.

Ronnie's early academic challenges ignited a passion within him to pursue social justice and to work with the youth. With over eight years of experience in the counseling field, Ronnie currently works with court-involved youth as an Outpatient Therapist. Rest in Peace RaShawn Reloaded, completes a trinity of quality young adult literature by Ronnie, including the first books in his series, Nelson Beats the Odds and Tameka’s New Dress. All three inspire confidence in children, especially children of color, and encourage a fondness for reading and a heightened level of social awareness;Ronnie’s stories equip kids with a broader understanding of America’s current culture and climate. In 2015, Ronnie developed the “Nelson Beats The Odds Comic Creator” app to help young people celebrate their strengths and feel good about themselves. Please visit http://www.nelsonbeatstheodds.com for more information about the author.

The Johnson Family Foundation in collaboration with USD’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) and the Department of Learning and Teaching offers an opportunity for schools to deepen their understanding of best teaching practices in general education for children with learning disabilities.

In year one of the Johnson Education Fellows Program, K-3 general education teachers served as fellows, attending featured speaker keynotes and workshops at USD to build strategies for working with students with learning disabilities. In year two, professional development equipped K-12 teacher leaders from specific school sites with strategies for supporting the needs of students and for generating shared practices among teams of teachers. Teachers committed to participating in workshops throughout the year and to leading inclusion efforts at their schools. Now in year three, we welcome some returning and some new fellows to build their knowledge and share it at their home schools.

If you would like to get involved in year 4, please contact Suzanne Stolz or Erik Brault.